Posted on by Cassie Kebler

Overlook Neighborhood Update (Jan. 21, 2021)

  1. Installation of Flanders Crossing and I-405 Closures This Weekend
  2. Interstate Bridge Replacement Program Advisory Group
  3. North/Northeast Portland Public Safety Action Committee – MEETING TONIGHT
  4. Hazelnut Grove and Homeless Update

  1. Installation of Flanders Crossing and I-405 Closures This Weekend

The Flanders Crossing over I-405 in NW Portland will be installed this weekend!  As a result, this section of the freeway will be closed starting Friday, January 22 at 10 p.m. and reopening by 5 a.m. on Monday, January 25.  The freeway ramps near the new bridge will close Friday at 10 a.m. to prepare for the event.  Click on the link to see PBOT’s press release including pictures and a map.  If you need to travel on the freeway thru Portland during the closure, consider using I-5 (which will probably be congested) or surface streets such as MLK.  This will hopefully open in a few months.

During the closure:

  • Signed detours will direct drivers to Interstate 5
  • All northbound traffic on I-405 must take Exit 1D, 12th Ave./U.S. 26
  • All southbound I-405 traffic, including traffic from the Fremont Bridge, must take Exit 2A/2B, Everett/Couch/Burnside

NOTE: the bridge installation is dependent on good weather with low winds. For more information on the project, closures, and timelines click here.

2. Interstate Bridge Replacement Program Advisory Group Meetings

This month the Interstate Bridge Replacement Program is hosting three public meetings in an effort to provide a bridge replacement that meets the needs of a diverse set of users. Although the first meeting has now past, the remaining two meetings still offer a great opportunity for Overlook neighbors to hear more about the project.

Community Advisory Group – 4-6 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 27

Equity Advisory Group – 5:30-7:30 p.m., Monday, Jan. 25

For full group descriptions, a summary of what to expect at the meeting, and zoom links click here.

3. North/Northeast Portland Public Safety Action Committee – MEETING TONIGHT

Join tonight’s PSAC meeting tonight via Zoom virtual meeting. The group will be meeting with and talking with North Precinct Commander Brian Ossenkop and some of his officers.

Join Zoom Meeting

https://zoom.us/j/99204796941

Meeting ID: 992 0479 6941
Dial by your location
+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)

4. Hazelnut Grove and Homeless Update

Earlier in the month the OKNA board submitted a letter to Mayor Ted Wheeler and Commissioners Jo Ann Hardesty, Dan Ryan, Carmen Rubio and Mingus Mapps calling for their action on homeless needs in Portland, and specifically in the Overlook neighborhood. The letter calls for the following:

  • Open small and large managed outdoor shelters in all parts of the city
  • Construct managed homeless villages in all parts of the city modeled on the Kenton Women’s Village and the St. Johns Village
  • In all neighborhoods, close unsanctioned campsites located in parks, waterways and public paths, as well as camps where illegal activity has been documented
  • And close the Hazelnut Grove homeless camp on N Greeley Avenue gradually by summer 2021 and work with the Overlook Neighborhood to remediate the site and transform it to public use.
After OKNA submitted its letter, the city announced plans to decommission Hazelnut Grove. Residents of the camp have been given priority to access the St. Johns Village. Those who declined or did not pass background checks have been connected to other shelter options and service providers so that everyone at Hazelnut Grove has a better, safer place to go. The decommissioning likely will occur gradually over the coming weeks or months.
The city has promised to close Hazelnut Grove many times since the camp illegally occupied state land more than five years ago. OKNA is optimistic that this time it will deliver because all campers now have places to move. OKNA will continue to work with neighbors and the city to address other problem campsites in the neighborhood such as along Greeley Avenue and in Madrona Park.
Read more about the closure of Hazelnut Grove in news coverage by KGW and The Portland Tribune. The Tribune also has a piece looking at bigger issues related to homelessness, the closure of Hazelnut Grove, potential protests and a proposed city ordinance to allow shelters in many more places in the city. It’s worth a read.